Om Namah Sivaya
Blessed Self,
Faith is everything on the spiritual path. When we have unwavering faith, Master and Swamiji take care of it all for us. This is evident when we look at the high season starting in the South Indian ashrams.
Since the pandemic, this is the first year that we see so many people, especially those seeking assistance through authentic yoga for mental health and related issues. Our Yoga Vacation guest numbers have reached pre-pandemic levels, encouraging us to have more faith and motivation for our own practice.
The Teachers’ Training Courses are gradually picking up, mainly due to the recent changes in visa related issues by the Government of India. We are anticipating further changes as India is trying to promote Yoga and spirituality. As a result, the number of Indian students coming to the ashrams has increased dramatically. We invite all of you to come and join us for an exciting programme of new offerings throughout the high season.
Before closing the Netala Ashram in the Himalayas for the winter, we conducted the most successful Sadhu Bandhara yet in commemoration of our Guru Swami Vishnudevanandaji’s Mahasamadhi on November 9. Close to 500 people were fed by the ashram on that day, while 150 sadhus received winter supplies sponsored by the Balaji family, devotees from Chennai. The villagers in Netala are very happy with the Ashram presence and have invited us to be a major part of their Ramlila festivities. While the ashram is closed to guests until April of next year, renovations, improvements, and construction will continue through the winter months.
Our Ayurveda programmes and treatments are thriving with a high volume of people who are seeing tangible results for their ailments at both our Ashrams in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. We are currently working on plans for a new Ayurvedic hospital building in our Kerala Ashram in order to expand our valued services.
May Master and Swamiji’s blessings be with you always.
Pranams,
Prahlada
Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Ashrams & Centres, India
Swami Sivananda was known for his kindness and giving nature. He reminds us to: Be good, do good, be kind, be compassionate, so often that, in fact, he composed a bhajan with those words so that they would take on a mantra-like quality for us.
At a time when it is possible to witness so much unkindness in the world, simple and small acts of kindness may represent the way forward. Recently, a former TTC graduate visited and said that what she remembers most from her course is that someone gave her some cream when she was suffering from mosquito bites. We may remember other things, but that is what she has not forgotten. In every situation we have a choice, and it is possible to be kind.
Many people come to yoga looking for kindness. Our duty as teachers is to ensure that our approach towards students is always kind, even if we have not always experienced that kindness ourselves. Our duty as practitioners of yoga is to try to discover how to be more kind towards oneself. Being kind towards oneself in the practice helps facilitate healing more quickly than striving, pushing, and straining for more, higher, faster, stronger. As a TTC student wisely remarked on completion of the course, “I’ve learned that great things can be accomplished by gentle means”. How true!
Please be kind. You can always be kind.
In this issue we will learn about the importance of learning to touch gently in a yoga class and hear from a TTC graduate about discovering the potential of kindness and gentleness in her practice. We’ll read Swami Vishnudevananda’s words about his years spent with the “Master” and discover why some people can’t tell left from right. We’ll learn about the importance of turmeric in yoga sadhana and of fasting on Ekadasi, or the eleventh day of the lunar cycle. We’ll discover how Goddess Kali inspires the community in Delhi to turn pain into inner strength.
We hope you enjoy the newsletter and take time to reflect on your practice. As usual, please feel free to reach out to us with your thoughts and feedback at: [email protected]
Snapshots: November Events & Programmes
Highlights of the month of November include the bandhara conducted for Swamis and sadhus from the Uttarkashi region of the Himalayas, a yoga session conducted with officials from the Ministry of Communications, Department of Posts, Government of India in Tirupati, happy panchakarma participants in the Sivananda Institute of Health, Neyyar Dam, and Mahasamadhi pujas for Swami Vishnudevananda held across India.
Links/Research: Why Some People Can’t Tell Left from Right
Distinguishing between left and right provides a challenge for both yoga students and yoga teachers. Apparently, of all the spatial orientations, left and right are the most challenging. It may seem like a simple mistake, but a surprising number of adults confuse left from right. Scientists are only just starting to understand why. Read more here:
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/why-some-people-can-t-tell-left-from-right
Spiritual Calendar
December 1 – New Moon
December 11 – Ekadasi
December 15 – Full Moon
December 25 – Christmas
December 26 – Ekadasi
December 30 – New Moon
December 31 – Swami Vishnudevananda’s Birthday
Upcoming Courses:
Learn, Practise & Grow with Us!
Teachers’ Training Course (TTC)
Dec 15 to Jan 11, 2025,
Gudur, Andhra Pradesh
Jan 5 to Feb 1, 2025,
Neyyar Dam, Kerala
Jan 19 to Feb 15, 2025,
Gudur, Andhra Pradesh
For more details, click here
Advanced Teachers’ Training Course (ATTC)
Jan 26 to Feb 22, 2025,
Madurai, Tamil Nadu
For more details, click here
Sadhana Intensive (SI)
Jan 5 to 18, 2025,
Madurai, Tamil Nadu
For more details, click here
Inner Harmony: Pranayama, Meditation, and Mantras with Yoga Acharya Prahlada
Dec 6 to Dec 10, 2025,
ONLINE
For more details, click here
Panchakarma Detoxification Programme (PDP)
Dec 23 to Jan 5, 2024,
Neyyar Dam, Kerala (In Japanese)
Jan 1 to Jan 16, 2024,
Madurai, Tamil Nadu
For more details, click here
Fasting Detoxification Programme (PDP)
Dec 3 to Dec 17, 2024,
Neyyar Dam, Kerala
For more details, click here
Teachings Excerpt:
My Years with the Master by Swami Vishnudevananda
On Sivaratri, March, 1948 I took Sannyas and became Swami Vishnudevananda. When my parents learned of this they wrote a distraught letter. I showed it to Master, who coolly handed it back with the words “Maatha Naasti, Pitha Naasti” (There is neither mother nor father for you). My troubled heart found instantaneous peace.
It was the special capacity of Sri Gurudev to find out the capabilities and special talents of each of his disciples. He would encourage and nourish this. Under his expert guidance, imperfect and unripe aspirants matured and developed their latent talents. Master saw in me the tendency towards Hatha Yoga and that I was a good organiser. Thus Swamiji’s training was directed in developing these inherent qualities. He appointed me Professor of Hatha Yoga at the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Forest Academy.
Master touched me and opened my intuitive eye. All my knowledge of Asanas, Pranayama, Mudras, Bandha and Kriyas returned to me from past lives.
People from all over India and the entire world came to the Sivananda Ashram. Master would send them to me for instruction. To be the first Hatha Yoga Professor at the Forest Academy and the centre of so much attention proved a bit too much for me to handle. I soon developed a case of “Ego Fever”.
I was a 90-pound weakling and felt the need to give an appearance in keeping with my stature at the Ashram. I decided to grow a beard and long hair, the marks of a distinguished Yogi. Master watched all this happening.
When the ego became too inflated, he decided that it was time to stick a pin in it. One day he looked at me and said, “Yes, Vishnu Swami, the beard suits you. Yes, it is true we must all make a good appearance and impress people. Yes, yes, keep on with it.”
At that moment, my body contracted. I realised what I was doing. I immediately shaved and decided to never again put on airs or impress people.
It is wonderful to see how Master never said an unkind word, even when people made fools of themselves. He gently tried to make them realise what they were doing and they should go about correcting their faults.
At one point I felt the need to leave the Ashram for a few months of seclusion in the Himalayas to do intense Sadhana. Upon returning to the Ashram, I threw myself into the work with a new gusto. I had not only lots of creative ideas for improving things, but also the energy to carry them out. Once Master said to me, “Vishnu Swami, now I see your Kundalini rising. When this happens, the mind is flooded with inspiration.”
I became Master’s personal assistant. This gave me the opportunity to observe his actions firsthand. I learned that the way Master acted in public was exactly the way he acted in private. There was no pretence or showmanship about him, just an honest, straightforward and loving nature.
Practice and Teaching Tips:
How to Touch Kindly
Touch can be supportive and loving, but it can also be controlling. The perceived freedom to touch another person is fraught with questions and investigations into intention and purpose for any yoga teacher. Our touch should ALWAYS be gentle, minimal, kind, ethical, and respectful. We investigate touch and the hands in this video, with the purpose of creating a yoga class and yoga practice that feels ‘safe’. We hope the video is helpful. All best wishes for your inspired practice and teaching.
Nutrition Tips:
Role of Turmeric in Yoga Sadhana
In the last few years, turmeric has emerged as one of the most potent anti-inflammatory spices for multiple health conditions. With the west adopting turmeric in their wellness practices, turmeric has gotten its due share of popularity across the world.
However, the importance of turmeric in Yoga and Ayurveda has been spoken of for ages. Turmeric can drastically improve the yoga practice while acting as the best form of natural and preventive medication of ancient times.
How Does Turmeric Help in Yoga Practice?
Detoxifies: Turmeric is the favourite spice of yogis! Turmeric can be deeply detoxifying and helps remove undigested toxins called ‘ama’ in Ayurveda. Ama is the stagnation in the digestive tract that is sticky, slimy, heavy and foul-smelling. Ama clogs the body and energy channels giving rise to low energy, body stiffness, poor health and low immunity. Turmeric in Ayurveda is known to digest ama deeply as it works on all seven dhatus of the body from plasma to the reproductive fluid.
Improves Joint Flexibility by Lowering Inflammation: Inflammation is the biggest hindrance in smooth-flowing yoga practice. Turmeric is highly anti-inflammatory and helps with joint health for smoother and flexible joint movements. It contains more than two dozen anti-inflammatory compounds including curcumin, the most known compound that blocks the pain and inflammation-causing enzyme.
Purify the Nadis: Turmeric in Ayurveda is also known to help purify the subtle energy channels of the body. Chakras are formed from the nadis, the subtle energy channels, that can get blocked due to toxic build-up. Ama, the undigested toxin of subtle quality coming in from stagnant physical or subtle matter like blocked emotions, blocks the free flow of prana through the nadis. Turmeric helps purify these channels and helps the yogi keep its internal energy channels open and free flowing.
My Practice Experiences: Be Kind
While growing up my bedtime was filled with Panchatantra and other short stories from Indian scriptures usually centered about kindness and empathy. So naturally my journey on the path of kindness started at a very young age however that’s not the experience I want to share today.
I read somewhere that kindness starts with oneself, and I didn’t realise its gravity until I enrolled in yoga teacher training at the Sivananda Ashram. In the beginning of this year, I came to Neyyar Dam Ashram, Trivandrum, thinking that one month of TTC would resolve my long-standing sciatica. Little did I know then that one month would change my whole perspective about life. I started my TTC journey with a bang, thinking I’ll master all those advanced asanas at the end of the month and will be able to cure every illness I’ve in my body. However, by end of the first week, my sciatica got worse, and I wasn’t even able of get up from bed without feeling the strain on my right leg. My brain was clouded with frustration. Being a rookie practitioner, I thought I’ll be able to go through it by popping a pain painkiller.
I started to resent my own body and pushed myself even further, but things worsened, and I had to slow down. I couldn’t practice several asanas because of an active radiating pain. After endless cribbing I realised I had no other option but to accept the reality the way it’s. It was at that moment when I accepted that I (a veteran hockey player) can also have a hard time keeping up with the challenging physical aspect of yoga asanas. I opened the door of healing for myself. As pain always comes with possibilities, now, when I look back, I see I needed to slow down and show myself the same respect and kindness I used to so easily give to others.
It was the slow, mindful moments on the mat and off my mat that made me realise the power of surrendering. By being gentle with my body, I, for the time in my life reached my full potential. Slowly I started to recover and in no time, I was able to do asanas as before and even better at times. I was lucky enough to meet several yoga therapists during my stay in Neyyar dam and they helped me understand a holistic way of life. How, by being mindful and kind to your own body and mind, you can open new dimensions and understand yourself on a deeper level. There’s an old saying that kindness can change the world when we start by changing our little worlds, by being kind to ourselves a little more every day and embracing pain and pleasure with an open mind. My experience of TTC was nothing short of several mind-blowing moments but the biggest lesson for me was, that “slowing down and being kind to your mind and body takes you far”.
-Apoorva Singh,
TTC Graduate
Moon Cycles: Ekadasi Fasting in Yoga Practice
In Hatha Yoga ‘ha’ refers to the ‘sun’ and ‘tha’ refers to the moon. Hatha Yoga is based on the idea of creating an environment of inner balance in the body by balancing the two universal energies of the sun and moon in the body. These energies manifest in the form of physical, mental and emotional tendencies. For example, an imbalance of sun energy manifests in the form of too much heat in the system leading to heart and blood-related conditions, gastric conditions and even ulcers. Similarly, an imbalance of moon energy in the body may manifest as cold conditions like stagnation, dullness and cold hands and feet. Hatha Yoga also focuses on detoxifying the body with cleansing kriyas.
Therefore, a yogi has a deep focus on keeping this inner balance maintained and keeping the body detoxified with not just yoga, but with dietary and lifestyle practices as well. Extending upon the idea of sun-moon balance and detoxification in Hatha Yoga, the Vedic way of life emphasises on living life in synergy with the solar and lunar energy in the environment to not let the inner balance of sun and moon become disturbed.
Humans are an inseparable part of the solar system and energetically whatever happens in the solar system happens to humans with equal and exponential impact. In the understanding of astrology, there are two days of Ekadasi in a month where the planetary forces are strong enough to disturb this inner balance of sun and moon within our body and mind. Traditionally, Ekadasi fasting originated from an astrological phenomenon considering our energetic relationship with the planets in the solar system. Astronomically, when the planets in the solar system move in their respective direction, that energy has an influence on the human body and mind creating a gravitational pull that influences the planet and humans both.
Ekadasi is related to the influence of lunar (moon) energy on the planet and in Sanskrit means ‘the eleventh’, referring to the eleventh day of a fortnight. In the traditional Indian lunar calendar, Ekadasi falls twice in a month, once in the bright fortnight and the other in the dark fortnight.
In the yogic community, Ekadasi fasting is common due to its deeper impact than only the physical impact. On Ekadasi, the earth is in a certain state of influence of the moon energy and a sadhaka can keep their body light, energetic, alert, focussed and attuned inwards by fasting on the days of Ekadasi.
Ekadasi fasting combined with yoga can make us feel vibrant, rejuvenated and healthy. Ekadasi fasting is observed in the traditional schools of yoga where the yogis fast for 24-36 hours without food or water. This fasting is believed to bring about a balance in physical, mental, emotional and spiritual synergies in body and mind. It also helps the body and mind to clean and purify deeply. Additionally, fasting gives rest to the physiological systems that may be exhausted due to continuous overwork.
Temple Showcase: Kali Mandir in CR Park, Delhi
Delhi and Calcutta were connected by train in 1964 and later, India’s capital shifted to New Delhi. At that time “Dilli” (literally, means the heart) saw an influx of Bengali settlers which continued even after the partition of Bengal. New jobs and a new way of life brought chaos and uncertainty too, but as Devi worshipers, Bengali people stood tall amidst all this, embodying the power of transformation in the darkest moments, just like Kali. One such beautiful thing that emerged out of this time was the Kali Temple at Chittaranjan Park (“CR Park”). A vibrant temple beaming with divine presence, the CR Park Kali Mandir is a temple complex and Bengali community and cultural centre. It started as a Shiva temple in 1973 and later on larger shrines dedicated to Kali, Shiva, and Radhakrishna were added. Over the years the temple has hosted several religious festivals and events, but the grand annual Durga Puja remains the highlight. People from all over Delhi visit the temple during Durga Puja with melas, food stalls serving regional delicacies, cultural programmes, and sacred puja. It is truly a once in a lifetime experience.
The Kali Temple features a beautiful terracotta style of architecture. With a distinct roofing style and vibrant colors, this temple is one of most beautiful temples of the city. The architecture is unique and reminiscent of the traditional paddy-roofed building style of rural Bengal. The temple structure contains gabled roofs called ‘chala’. The sanctum sanctorum houses an idol of Goddess Kali, known as Bhavataraini, standing on the chest of a reclining Shiva, as if telling the story of a reawakening of spirit during challenging times. Bengali people, despite facing several challenges over the past century, embraced it all with love and fearlessness, truly personifying Kali’s essence, profound wisdom, and power.
The Kali Mandir also offers a library, a yoga and ayurveda centre, a hospital, and an affordable housing facility for migrants and travellers, doing justice to the phrase “divine home of knowledge and love”. The Temple echoes ancient wisdom and timeless truth, victory of good over evil, and courage over hardships, teaching us that there will always be ups and downs in the journey but what matters is how we transmute our pain into inner strength and make something beautiful out of it. The Kali Mandir in south Delhi is a short distance from our centre in Kailash Colony.
“Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success.”
~Swami Sivananda
